By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)

The 2023 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 27th to May 7th in Toronto, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

In their cleverly crafted documentary Another Body, young filmmakers Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn tell the story of Taylor Klein, a young female engineering student who was alerted to a Pornhub account in her name. The account featured graphic videos of her created using deepfake technology that she did not consent to, alongside her real name and location, with someone using images taken from her social media to put her face on another body in a series of pornographic videos.

Following Taylor as she digs deep into online forums to figure out who might have created these videos, Another Body often plays out like a real life computer screen thriller, and it feels like falling down an internet rabbit hole. She discovers how this open source technology can allow pretty much anyone to create convincing videos with as little as 150 photos of someone, and no real legal repercussions to take against the perpetrators due to the lack of legislative frameworks around the creation of deepfakes.

The film also touches on the harassment that female gamers face in male-dominated online spaces, and how online forums like 4chan allow anonymous users to share private photos that can be used to create these videos. The most disarming element of the film is the uncanny realization of how far this deepfake technology has advanced, showing just how convincing these fake videos can be. This is a disturbing cautionary tale about deepfake technology being used to create nonconsensual porn, and the dangers that this poses to women in particular.

Screenings: Friday, April 28th, 8:45 PM at Isabel Bader Theatre; Saturday, May 6th, 3:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre 7. Tickets can be purchased here.